Control mechanism



June 21, 1932 G. A. coMBRlDGE.

-CONTROL MECHANISM Filed June 13, 1931 il All. l l

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| l l l l l l l l l IJ. L H H H nllllylbllllllIllLl 4 U Patented June 21, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTROL MECHAN ISM V Application filed June 13,

This invention is a control mechanism for an indicator or display device of that type which embodies a sign element adapted for step-by-step movement, and is particularly applicable toa station indicator mounted in a public conveyance and adapted to successively display the names along the route of travel.

It is the object of the invention to provide a control mechanismwhich is automatically actuated so as to successively shift the sign element, and which in the case of a station indicator for a conveyance maybe actuated by movement of a door of the conveyance so as to automatically shift the sign element when the door is actuated at each stop along the route. v

It is a further object of the invention to employ the control mechanism in connection with drive mechanism which is adapted to shift the sign element; and more particularly to close an electrical circuit for the drive mechanism by movement of a door, and then automatically and independently of the control mechanism break the electrical circuit when the sign element has been shiftedthe required distance to display the name of the next succeeding station. v

Further objects of the invention will be readily understood from the following description of the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the shiftable sign Velement with its casing partly broken away to show the drive mechanism, and the electrical circuit for the drive mechanism being diagrammatically shown.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the sign element, with its casing partly broken away.

Figs. 3 and 4 are detail front elevations of the reversing mechanism for the shiftable sign element, respectively showing the sign element at the opposite ends of its travel.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the automatically actuated switch of the control mechanism. Y

Fig. 6 is a plan view of said switch. Y

Fig. 7 is a front elevation of the manually actuated switch of the control mechanism.

The invention is illustrated in connection of the various stops v openings.

1931. Serial No. 544,()95.'

with a station indicator for a public convey ance which has a door A adapted to be opened and closed at each station along the route, the indicator being housed in a casing 1 having sight openings 2 for successively displaying station names 3 on tapes 4 which are adapted for step-by-step movement past' the sight The tapesV 44 may be wound on rollers 5`6, and may be shifted step-by-step by means of sprockets 7 mounted on shafts 8 and'engaging notched edges 9 of the tapes.

The drive mechanism for shafts 8 is shown as an electric motor 12 mounted in casingzl and driving shafts 8 by suitable trains of reduction gearing shown at l and 10a and adapted to shift the tapes 4 in the same direction; and a driving connection 11 is provided between ther pair of rollers 6 for each tape, with said driving connection including any usual compensating means (not shown)l for varying the relative turning of rollers 5 6 in accordance with the varying diameter of the rolled tape on the pair of rollers asthe tape is unwound from one roller andl wound on the other. The motor 12 kis started by closing a switch 13 in'an electrical circuit 14, with the switch actuated bymovement of door` A; and after predetermined rotation of shafts 8 such as is just sufficient to shift tapes 4 so as to display the next succeeding names 3,',the circuit 14 is automatically broken so as to provide the desired :step-by-step movement of the tapes. 1 Y

As an instance of this'arrang'ement closing movement of door A is adapted to close i switch 13 for initiating rotation `of shafts 8, and an auxiliary switchl then automatically closes a shunt circuit V140i for the motor 12, and at the same time switch 13 is automatically opened7 so that rotation of shafts 8 'is continued under control of the auxiliary switch, and this switchis automatically opened after such predetermined rotation of the shafts as will shift the tapes 4 so as to aline the next succeeding names 3 with the sight openings '2.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the auxiliary switch may comprise a xed contact 15 and an insulator disc 16 rotating with Vone of the shafts 8 and carrying circumferentially spaced contacts 17 forming diametrica'lly oples ' rin, ride upon Atracted by an electro-magnet 14, the electro-magnet being-energized by 'iary switch 15-17 are open,

along vthe route of the conveyance,- 'that station is reached and Ydoor A is l operated, the closing movement of the door is adapted to momentarily close and then remomentarily closes circuit energizes electro-magnet 23 -pin 22, and the momentarily closed circuit 14 'starts the motor 12 so as posite insulated points 18, so that with the disc turned fol alinement of either of the insulated points with contact 15 the shunt circuit 14a is broken, and rotation of disc 16 will engage contact 15 with one of the other of contacts 17 and thus close the shunt circuit 14a for supplying electrical energy to m-otor 12 until the disc has been turned so as to aline the other insulated point 18 with the contact 15, whereupon the shunt circuit A A is again broken.

Means are preferably provided for positively stopping rotation of disc 16 immediately upon breaking the shunt circuit 14a, so

. as to insure exact alinement of contact 15 with one or the other of f 18, and for-this purpose the insulated points and as shown in Fig. 1, a disc 20 may rotate with the shaft 8 which 'carries the disc 16, withV one or the other of diametrically` opposite recesses 21 in the periphery of disc 2O adapted for engagement by a locking pin 22 hen the mechanism is rlhe pin 22 is retracted when the disengaged recess-21 is clear of its locking the said pin is again projected so as to the periphery of disc 20,ready to drop into the diametrically Aopposite recess 21 and thereby immediately stop the turning -ofl shafts 8 when the shunt circuit 14a is again broken. rIhe locking pin 22 may be re- 23 in circuit closing switch 13 and thus retracting pin 22,

fand the magnet being then de-energized as a result of the switch 13 being automatically opened immediately after the closing of shunt circuit 14a.

With the mechanism in the position shown in Fig. 1, the main switch 13 and the auxilthereby breaking circuits 14and 14a so that motor 12 is at resIr with one of the names 3 displayed at sight openings 2 and the shafts 8 locked against turning by pin 22 engaging one of the recesses 21. The names 3 displayed at the sight openings 2 indicate the next station and when open switch 13. This movement of switch 13 14 and thereby so as to retract to initiate rotation of shafts 8. Une or the other of contacts 17 thus engages contact 15 so as to close shunt circuit 14a and thus continue the supply of electrical energy to motor 12 after the momentarily closed circuit 14 is again opened, and the rotation of shafts 8 is thus continued until the motor is stopped by contact 15 alining with the diametrically opposite insulated Vopened by operating the Vtion engaging its frame point 18, whereupon pin 22 engages the alined recess 21 of disc 20 for stopping shafts 8 with the parts in their normal position of rest and with the shafts 8 having been rotated just sufficiently to display the neXt succeeding names on tapes 4. The next stop along the route is thus indicated, and when said next station is reached'the operation is repeated by the opening and closing of door As shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the switch 13 which is momentarily closed and then redoor A, may comprise an operating pin 25 carried by the door and adapted to engage a lever 26 which is pivoted to a bracket 27 mounted alongside the door. The lever 26 carries a bridging contact 28, and the lever is normally turned by a spring 29 so as to engage a stop 30, in which position the contact 28 is clear of spaced contact 31 of the circuit 14 so as to open be turned against the tension of its spring and as shown by broken lines in Fig. 6, so that contact 28 bridges the contacts 31 for closing circuit 14. The lever is turned by pin 25 engaging the lever as the door A moves to closed position, and as soon as pin 25 moves beyond the lever responsive to continued movement of the door to its fully closed posi- B, the spring 29 returns the lever to its normal position clearing contact 28 from the spaced contacts 31, thereby insuring only momentary closing and immediate reopening of circuit'14 eachtime the door A is'closed.

When door A subsequently slides to its open position the pin 25 is adapted to move ast the lever 26 without swinging the same,

and for this purpose the pin 25 may be 1 'the tension of a spring 35 so that it clears the lever 26.

The switch 13 thus remains in normal open position during the opening of door at each station along the route, and is autom'atically closed and then immediately reopened at each closing of the door when the conveyance lea-ves the successive stations, thereby providing the previously described step-bystep movement of the sign element so as to automatically display the names of the stations as they are successively approached.

rhe driving connection for shafts 8 is adapted for reversal when the end of the route is reached and the tapes 4 have been completely unwound from one of their rollers onto the other; and said-reversal may be accomplished by employing a motor 12 which is adapted for reverse rotation when a usual the circuit, but the lever is .adapted-tov cooperating switch in circuit 14 is swung from one operative position to another. The switch 40 may be actuated by one of the tapes 4 reaching its respective limits of travel; and for this purpose the switch may be mounted alongside the tape, with a bell crank operating lever of the switch adapted for engagement of its arm 41 when the tape is completely wound upon its roller 5 as shown in Fig. 3, thereby actuating the switch 40 for reversing motor 12 so that the shafts 8 are rotated in the opposite direction, and at the same time operatively projecting the arm 42 of the bell crank lever so that when the tape 4 is completely wound on its opposite roller 6, as shown in Fig. 4, it is the arm 42 which is operativelyengaged for turning switch 40 in the opposite direction so as to again reverse the motor and operatively project the arm 41 for repeating the operation.

The arms 41`42 of the bell crank lever may be respectively engaged by pins 45 45a mounted on tape 4 adjacent its respective ends, with said pins pivoted at 46 so that abutment surfaces 47 hold the pins in projected position and against yielding in one direction While permitting pivotal yielding of said pins in the opposite direction against the tension of springs 48; and the pins 45-45a are mounted in relatively reversed position as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, so that when the tape 4 is completely wound upon roller 5 as shown in Fig. 3, the pin 45 engages armI 41 and thus swings the operating lever of switch 40 to the position shown in Fig. 4, with pin 45 then yielding at its pivot 41 so as to clear the operatively projected arm 42 of the reversing switch as the tape 4 travels inl the opposite direction, and when the tape 41s completelywound upon roller 6 as shown 1n ig. 4, the pin 45a engages the operatively progected arm 42 and thus again reverses switch 40 and operatively projects arm 41 as shown in Fig. 3, with the pin 45a yielding at its pivot 46 during subsequent reverse travel of tape 4, so as to clear the operatively projected arm 4 Y he invention thus provides for step-bystep movement of a sign element so as to indicate successive stations along the route of a conveyance, with the sign element automatically actuated by the opening and closing of a door of the conveyance at each of the successive stops, and the sign element automatically limited in its movement to the desired step-by-step shifting so as to accurately aline e successive stations with a the names of th suitable sight opening, and the sign element also adapted for reversal at the end of the route so as to successively display the names of the stations in the reverse order as the route is retraveled in the reverse direction.

In order to operate the indicator in the event that the conveyance goes past a station without the door A being opened and closed, a manually operated switch 13a is preferably provided in circuit 14 as shown in Fig. 1, and when manually* momentarily Aclosed and then autom'atically reopened is disengages the pin/E25a the latter is returned fromlever 526L so that by its spring to its normal position, thereby breaking circuit 14 momently after the closingrof said circuit and thus actuating .the control mechanism previously described.

In practice a normally closed switch 50 is preferably also provided in circuit 14, and is adapted to be manually opened whenever it is desired to render the control mechanism inoperative. ForeXample if after the sign element has been shifted to display the name of the next succeeding station it becomes necessary to again open and close door A before said next 50 is manually opened before .opening the door so as to render the sign shifting mechanism inoperative; andy after the door A is again in normal closed position, the switch and continued shifting of the lever 51 then' station is reached, the switch- 50 is manually closed so that the sign shift' ing mechanism is again adapted fork operation by momentary closing of either the automatic switch 13 or the manual switch 13a.

claim:

Y 1.'In combination, a vehicle adapted tov travel a predetermined route, a sign element,

means carried by the sign elementfor indicating successive stops along thepredetermined route, means for shifting the sign element step-b-y-step so as to play the indicating means', and a control for said shifting means including a pivoted leverand an actuating pin carried by a door Vof the vehicle, the door being adapted for movement in opposite close .the door, and the pin'being adapted to l successively disf directions to open and y;

yield so as to clear the lever when the door is shifted in one direction, and being held against yielding so as to engage and actuate the lever when the door is shifted in the opposite direction.

In combination, a vehicle adapted to travel a predetermined route, a sign element, means carried by the sign element for indicating successive stopsalong the predetermined route, an electric motor for shifting the sign element, a switch for starting the motor, said switch including an actuating pin carried by a door of the vehicle and a pivoted lever adapted for opposite swinging to and normally yieldopen or close the switch closed position so as to swing and releasing the lever ably swung in the switch, the actuating pin being adapted to engage the lever when the 'door is moved toward the lever for closing the switch and starting the motor, with the actuating pin then moving beyond as the door is moved to fully closed position so that the lever is swung in the opposite direction Jfor opening the Vswitch momentarily after its closing, an auxiliary switch controlling the motor and adapted to be closed by initial rotation of the motor so as to continue rotation of the motor after the door operated switch is opened, and means for opening the auxiliary switch for stopping the motor after predetermined shifting of the sign element.

3. In combination, a sign element, means for shifting the sign element,' and a control for said shifting means including a pivoted lever and an actuating pin carried by an Yelement whiV h 1s movable in opposite directions, the pin being adapted to yield. so as to clear the lever when the movable element is shifted in one direction, and being held against yielding so as to engage and actuate the lever when the movable element is shifted in Ythe opposite direction.

4. In combination, a sign element, a reversible electric motor for shifting thesign element in opposite directions, a switch for reversing the motor, a lever adapted to be 'Y swung in opposite directions for operating the reversing switch, and pins carried by the sign element adjacent its respective ends, each pin being adapted to yield so as tov clear the lever as the sign element is shifted toward its end which carries the other pin, and being held aga-inst yielding so as actuate the lever when shifting movement of the signelement is completed toward its end which carries the said pin. Y

In testimony whereof I have atlixed my signature. Y

' GEORGE A. COMBRIDGE.

direction to open the to engage and 

